Light Novel Durarara Discussion

The opening and closing credits of the dub say that Durarara!! is "Produced by Ikebukuro Dollars". Is there a trope for that? Like a shout out or something? I feel like there must be, but I can't think of anything.

Who dubs Durarara!! in America? I've been trying to look for the company's name in the credits, both opening and closing, but could not find it. Also, I cannot believe that anyone picked up on the Stealth Pun regarding Celty's name- The Grim Reaper incarnate, coming from Ireland, which just so happens to be of Celtic origin?

Adding it here because I'm only 4 episodes into the anime and would hate to guess something already confirmed: Izaya is a Kamaitachi, or at least has that as his motif.

Reasoning: He's a supernaturally skilled Knife Nut who prominently wears fur, has a twitchy, spastic demeanor (witness him stomping on a girl's cell phone and laughing maniacally before suddenly stopping and proclaiming he's bored), and talks about humans as if he wasn't one. If he has a pair of brothers that appear later that will only be more fuel for speculation.

baseless extrapolation: If more characters are revealed to have mythological motifs, Shizuo's would be an Oni, because he dresses as a Bartender (alchohol) and is incredibly strong.

who has been adding volume 9 spoilers to the page and where the hell are they getting them!?

217.133.102.204

07:24:56 AM Apr 17th 2011edited by 217.133.102.204

Sources are anni_fiesta and nomimushi @ LJ, I guess.
BTW, why do most of the additions send distinct "Izaya—>Shinra is canon" vibes? Something smells like YMMV...
Ah well, let's wait until the whole novel is translated.

Epyon

04:10:46 AM Jun 20th 2011

Novel 9 DOES revolve mostly around Izaya and Shinra and the strange friendship they had during middle school.

Does anyone else think the boy showing up at the end of the second OVA is intended to be Kuronuma Aoba? I'm trying to list that apparition (not a case of Canon Immigrant or Born Of Clay since the light novels are the original canon, though...) but maybe I'm the only one thinking that anyway..

I think Calvinball should be replaced with Human Chess, with Chess Motifs and Rule of Symbolism up the wazzu.

The Calvinball troupe states the players "aren't playing to win, but just to have fun"— and Izaya clearly is playing with the intention to win (get to Valhalla). Also, although Namie couldn't figure the board out, Shingen knew exactly that was what when he saw it and gave strategy advice in Episode 14—so the 'rules' Izaya is playing by aren't Calvinball-level random either.

What makes Izaya's version of Human Chess unique is that the game he's playing has so many folks to keep track of, the 64 pieces in a Chess set wouldn't be nearly enough...AND he's kicked the Rule of Symbolism to the extreme: The Black chess Knight represents the Occidental black-clad Duhallan. There's probably Irony points here too, since the piece is a horse's head and both Celty and her bike/horse are headless.

The Dollars have been called "colorless" and have been associated with circles before—on their homepage IIRC—so the masses are (probably) the White Reversi pieces. The Yellow Scarves masses on the other hand have 'color', so by default they're (again probably) the Dark Reversi pieces.

Hands down, the shogi pieces hold the most symbolism. Unlike Chess, a captured Shogi piece can be used by side that took it—wanna bet the Slashers will be represented by shogi pawns? It also contains such pieces as the Gold General—Masaomi Kida has already been referred to as "Shogun"—, Silver General, King General and Jeweled(Jade?)General. A Promoted Rook is also known as a Dragon King (see Mikado Ryugamine's Meaningful Name, though that may be a red herring).

Finally, there's only ever one King on a Shogi Board—the Incumbent's King (the Challenger's "king" is the Jeweled General). One "King" and three "Generals" means Izaya is just as in play as Masaomi, Mikado and Anri.

Shouldn't all examples from Durarara!! go in the literature section of their respective pages? The reason being that the books were the first incarnation of the the series and are also the most comprehensive.

Sparkysharps

11:17:01 AM May 8th 2010

I'm not sure. They're light novels, and TV Tropes's tendency with those seems to be to classify them with anime and manga.

urutapu

06:55:04 PM May 8th 2010

That's only due to Adaptation Displacement, since light novels are nearly always adapted, and of course that'll get more exposure. I personally think they should be literature as well, though.

I think Mikado should be added into the Tranquil Fury one. You know, his certain action that involved a ballpoint pen and a contract. He was VERY angry at that time, yet all that was shown on his face is cold-all-around eyes and even a bit of serenity. Now THAT is Tranquil Fury.

CeleS

12:03:01 PM May 6th 2010

Besides the Tranquil Fury trope (which I agree upon, it fits), I wonder if Mikado's Ballpoint Pen action can also count as 'Yandere', since the reason why he got so angry in the first place is Aoba using Anri to get closer to Mikado or something along that line, if I am not completely wrong.

Sparkysharps

11:21:09 AM May 8th 2010

I'm not sure. While dragging Anri into it was certainly the last straw, the ballpoint impalement was mostly to let Aoba know understand his position in the Dollars/Blue Square merger (read: the bitch).

Khathi: Well, about superglue — it could be used as a surgical glue in a pinch. not the best solution definitely, especially if one is to go for a commercial brand, but better than nothing. And for those who doesn't have an idea — YES, surgeons do glue up wounds. As well as staple them, and hundreds other unsavory things.

CeleS

09:02:43 AM May 2nd 2010edited by CeleS

...and you think SHIZUO of all people knew that? Which is why doubt he meant the superglue that can heal wounds but the ordinary superglue. Which is why the trope still applies in a way.

76.245.198.73

05:05:04 PM May 4th 2010

yes, but one of his few friends is an underground doctor (who is no stranger to surgery), not to mention all of Shizuo's many many hospital visits. I'd be more surprised if he DIDN'T know it.

CeleS

11:59:15 AM May 6th 2010

True, you are right that he might know about the right glue (he probably does, now that you mention it), but he started thinking about band-aid for SUCH wound(s), then decided on superglue. Following the train of thoughts of his in the slightly ridiculous fashion he started it, it would fit the context better if he did mean the regular superglue. After all, Shizuo's lack of 'intelligence' (though I'm not saying he is dumb, he's just not that bright) is often played for laughs in the novel, so...

In the end I still think in that moment Shizuo thought of the regular superglue, regardless if he knows about the right superglue or not - though given the logical argument above he knwos about it.

CeleS

09:05:20 AM May 7th 2010

OR, this idea is slighly far-fetched but not impossible, since it's Shizuo we're talking about, he does know about the medical superglue, given that Shinra probably used oe on him and/or Izaya at soem point, probably telling him about it. BUT, we know for a fact that Shizuo tends to give Shinra's explanations little credits, but he remembers the medical superglue. Now let's say Shizuo knows that there are medical superglues but has no idea that the regular superglue is not equal to the medical one for not paying attention to Shinra. Therefore he'd have meant the medical superglue but would've bought a regular one, anyway... I know, slightly far-fetched and unnecessarily faux-complicated. (Would that still make him a "You Fail Biology Forever"?)

98.246.82.156

12:13:31 AM May 12th 2010

Superglue was used as early as the Vietnam War as a suture-less wound treatment (learned that in college chemistry) and I imagine it's properties are well-known to the street-brawler set (who won't/can't see a doctor for anything less than a brains-or-guts-hanging-out injury), who likely do not know about the difference between medical and non-medical grade Superglue and probably wouldn't care even if they did.
I'd say this falls less into "You Fail Biology Forever" and more into Urban Myth ("all I need for that gaping stab wound is the trusty tube of glue from my Gundam model kit").

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